Duke preps for Notre Dame, national spotlight on 'College GameDay'

By Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

11Notre Dame Fighting Irish	21
17Duke Blue Devils	14
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Durham, N.C. — When ESPN’s “College GameDay” football pregame show comes to Durham for the first time ever, Duke enters Saturday’s game undefeated and Notre Dame has one loss.

To be clear, ESPN’s pregame show is coming for No. 17 Duke’s accomplishments on the gridiron and not the hardwood.

Duke head coach Mike Elko said he didn’t anticipate Duke would be on “College GameDay” in his second year.

“That’s a credit to our kids, and what they’ve bought into and how hard they’ve worked and how much they’ve put into this thing to make this what it’s become as quickly as it’s become, so, they get all of the credit for that.

“I think what it’s doing is it’s allowing us to expedite the process of building the brand of Duke football at the level we hoped it could get to.”

Duke hosts No. 11 Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium. The game airs on ABC.

The pregame show airs from 9 a.m. to noon Eastern time on ESPN.
“We had a ton of confidence in what Duke football could be,” Elko said. “That’s why I took the job.

“I did not take the job with the hope and expectation that we could be a middle-of-the-road program. That’s not why I came here. That’s not why I left my previous destination. Like, that’s not who I am. That’s not really how I’m wired.”

Duke (4-0) will have to try to move the ball against Notre Dame’s stout defense. The Fighting Irish’s defense rank seventh in the country, allowing only 260.6 yards per game. Notre Dame gives up an average of 12.2 points per game.

Elko said Notre Dame (4-1) has the biggest offensive line the Blue Devils have played this season.

“They’re massive,” Elko said of the Irish offensive line. “The left tackle Joe Alt is phenomenal. He’s a big human being, but across the board, all of those guys, they’re very well coached.

“They know what they’re trying to do and execute in the running game, and they’re able to create holes for a stable of backs.”

Alt is expected to be a first-round draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Blue Devils will look to slow down junior running back Auric Estime, who has 591 rushing yards on 77 carries (7.7 yards per carry) for five touchdowns.

Duke has familiarity playing against Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman, who transferred to the Irish after playing at Wake Forest in 2021 and 2022.

“We’re very familiar with Sam [Hartman] and who he is as a quarterback and what he’s capable of doing, and so, nothing but respect for how he plays the game,” Elko said. “He certainly has elevated his game as he’s gotten into a new offense and become a leader of that program.”

Duke has won four consecutive games, coming off a 41-7 win against UConn.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame is coming off a 17-14 loss to Ohio State on Saturday night.

The Irish had opportunities to beat the Buckeyes.

Notre Dame had only 10 defenders on the field when Ohio State running back Chip Trayanum ran in the game-winning touchdown with one second left. The Irish also had 10 defenders on the field the play before on a 2nd and goal from the Notre Dame 1-yard line.

On Ohio State’s final offensive drive, Notre Dame defensive back DJ Brown dropped what would have been a game-clinching interception. The ball went through his hands.

“We’ve got to have a great week of preparation and get ourselves ready to go out and play out style of football, but it should be a great stage of Saturday night,” Elko said. “I’m so excited for it.”

Duke cornerback Myles Jones is expected to play Saturday, Elko said. Jones did not play against UConn due to a minor injury.

Also, Elko said offensive lineman Justin Pickett practiced on Monday.